''Platycheirus occultus'' is a
Palearctic species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
of
hoverfly
Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, whil ...
.
DescriptionExternal images
For terms see
Morphology of Diptera
Dipteran morphology differs in some significant ways from the broader morphology of insects. The Diptera is a very large and diverse order of mostly small to medium-sized insects. They have prominent compound eyes on a mobile head, and (at most) ...
Tarsae 1: apical half of all segments without dark brown to black blotches ventrally. Femora 1 black to dark brown for less than half its length. Surstyli pale-haired.
[Speight, M.C.D. & Goeldlin de Tiefenau, P. (1990) Keys to distinguish ''Platycheirus angustipes'', ''P.europaeus'', ''P.occultus'' and ''P.ramsarensis'' (Dipt., Syrphidae) from other ''clypeatus'' group species known in Europe. ''Dipterists Digest'', 5: 5-18.]
Distribution
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Britain, North Germany, France Switzerland, Spain and northern Italy (Apennines), Serbia, Turkey
Biology
Habitat: fen and bog, coastal marsh and dune slacks, humid, seasonally-flooded, grassland, moorland, taiga wetlands. Flies April to September.
References
Diptera of Europe
Syrphinae
Insects described in 1990
{{Syrphidae-stub